WOW! What an awesome story with unforgettable characters! Kristin Hannah never disappoints! This is historical fiction novel. I have been going back and forth between a 4 or 5 star review on this book. I am going with a 4.5 and meet in the middle!
This novel is multiple POVs between a mother and a daughter. The novel starts out with Elsa. Elsa is a woman who is born into a wealthy home. She is not marriage material due to her looks, according to her parents. She meets Rafe and becomes pregnant. They are forced to marry which ruins Rafe’s future plans of going to college. She has two children with Rafe when the Dust Bowl happens in Texas. Rafe leaves her and the children for a better life in California. The story starts to get better when Elsa and her children leave Texas for California looking for work and . She experiences extreme hardships during this time from trying to survive but also repairing her and her daughter’s strained relationship. They see the laborer strikes in California as well as the Okie camps.
The 1st half of the book (40%) was very slow and boring. I actually put the book down for 2 weeks. I picked it up again and the last half, I could not put it down. It was beautifully written, great characters, and that ending. But the half way mark, it reminded me of “The Grapes of Wrath” but with a female main character. You will cry at times, shout at the book about the injustices that occur to the family, and just go along for the ride. One thing with a Hannah book, you will not be disappointed. Her books always deliver an emotional roller coaster and a journey! This book will be stuck in my head for a long time.